As I wrote in November 2011, "Anxiety scoring could be the thing which saves me. It will allow me to shave off points." Concentrate on one level at a time, starting with Level1. Going into a shopping centre (Lake Haven Shopping Centre) near my house, anxiety would sometimes reach 4.5 (in those early days at least.) November 24 2011: "So even though I felt anxious at Lake Haven, I managed to hold it together, and stay there for quite a long time. The anxiety actually decreased while I was there." Later on the same day I wrote to myself: "I started chasing panic attacks in bed... Soon I will be chasing them on the streets of Toukley (or Gorokan)." This was the start of chasing panic... and it paid off, although it took a long time for the results to come in! Watching TV, I might feel an odd sense of derealization, or depersonalization. Looking at the lake on the edge of my parents' property, it would look strange in a derealized way. But if I kept looking at it without fear for a minute or so, then began reading something on my iPhone. When I looked up I was surprised to see the lake looking normal again.

At my psychologist's suggestion, I also developed a Hierarchy of Phobias, or a Hierarchy of Fear. From 1 (low anxiety) to 9 (severe anxiety), here is what I wrote:
1. Being at home.
2. Walking on a street.
3. Sitting in a library. 4. Going into a shop. 5. Going in a shopping centre. 6. Eating in a cafe. 7. Catching a train. 8. Sitting in a car on a freeway. 9. Riding in a plane. I started measuring my breathing. After leaving the post office at Lake Haven on November 30, I took 20 breaths in about one minute. After returning home and doing some breathing exercises on the bed, my breathing rate slowed down to 11.5 breaths per minute. I soon discovered that eating helped reduce anxiety levels (slightly), and alcohol helped a lot (although I already learnt that in my dying days in Japan!) In early December, one golden Saturday morning, I took two short walks up the street to confront the anxiety head on, staring at the eucalyptus boughs on the side of the road, the black bitumen staring blankly back at me.

DEREALIZATION ZONE
Smaller than my Safety Zone. If I am travelling, it would be wise to stay outside the Derealization Zone when moving house.

CONTINUOUS DESENSITIZATION
If I spend 24 hours of a day desensitizing to something, for example staying in a hotel at The Entrance, or suffering stomach flu with fast pulse, I become desensitized to said triggers by 0.5TDU per 4 days. This suggests I could travel around the world at a pace of 300 metres per day.

Contracting a stomach flu can cause increased anxiety due to factors like tightened stomach muscles or fast pulse. On the other hand, it also offers an opportunity for desensitization. Being present all-day long, I slowly become desensitized to these specific triggers. It seems that the rate of desensitization is about 0.5TDU per 4 days.